


Guns And Girlfriends

by Nightelfbane



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gift Giving, Gun Violence, Ryder is a huge fuckin' nerd, headcanons about the guns of mass effect, or should i say headCANNONS lololololol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21566005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightelfbane/pseuds/Nightelfbane
Summary: Pathfinder Sara Ryder is an insatiable gun nut, crafting and naming her own weapons.The crew puts up with it.
Relationships: Vetra Nyx/Female Ryder | Sara
Comments: 24
Kudos: 71
Collections: Finishedstoriesmine





	1. Ghost In the Ship

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism and spelling/grammatical corrections welcome!  
> Because researching, crafting, and testing new guns was one of my favorite parts of the game.  
> Especially the testing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vetra finds out about Ryder's "hobby".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: the game refers to Vetra's room as the armory even though the weapons locker is in the little room next to the airlock behind Suvi. In this fic I refer to THAT room as the armory and Vetra's room as just Vetra's room.

There was a ghost in the _Tempest_ 's armory.

Vetra had gone in there to take stock after they had departed the Nexus, and to store her own equipment in the weapons locker. When she opened the locker, she saw Cora's M-28 shotgun, Liam's Charger, and the current monstrosity she was now staring at in horror.

The former standard issue X5 Ghost assault rifle had been modified and upgraded to hell and back. Expensive, high-quality materials had replaced the lowest-bidder stuff it had originally been made of. An extra power cell had been built into the stock, supplying energy via external cabling to unfamiliar pieces of technology that had been attached to various locations across the rifle's body. The words "Subject Delta" had been painted onto the left side in English.

The asymmetrical and patchwork look of the thing brought to mind an old human story that Vetra had learned about on Omega, Doctor Frankenstein and his monster. Vetra knew the insides of a normal X5, but she had no idea what she'd find if she opened up _this_ particular monster.

Shaking her head, she placed her own Cyclone next to it and closed the locker. A mystery for another time, she decided.

* * *

The mystery was solved the next day when they arrived in the Pytheas system. The _Tempest_ was en route to Eos and Vetra and Cora had been tagged for the ground team. They opened the door to the airlock to see Ryder pulling _Subject Delta_ out of the weapons locker. As Cora and Vetra began retrieving their own gear, Ryder began running checks on her Ghost. Vetra glanced at her occasionally as she made sure her Cyclone was charged and loaded, and eventually her curiosity got the better of her.

"Hey, Ryder," she started. "That rifle isn't exactly standard issue."

Ryder looked up from her task, concentration broken. "What? Oh, yeah. I made some modifications."

Cora snorted. "That's more than 'modifications', Ryder. It looks like you've rebuilt it from the ground up."

Sara smiled excitedly, and Vetra could see the passion spark in her eyes. Ever since she had met her, the Pathfinder's shoulders had been slumped, her eyes tired, and her tread heavy. Vetra could understand; her father had just died, and now the fate of the entire Initiative rested on her untrained shoulders. Now, as she eagerly showed them the custom features of _Subject Delta_ , Vetra was gratified to finally see her happy.

"Yeah, I looked over the original schematics back in the Milky Way. They called for technologies and materials that were considered too expensive to be made standard issue. I used those as my starting point, then added my own augmentations." She motioned to the bits of tech protruding from the sides and the exterior cabling that powered them. "It's not quite pretty, yet, but I'm still working on it. It beats the hell out of standard issue."

Ryder showed them the stock of the rifle where the extra power cell was. "I removed the black box recorder to make room for this power cell. My omnitool can handle recording and scanning. Anyway, the cell powers two extra custom mods. I hooked it up to a small heat diffusion system in the thermal channels between the barrel and the thermal clip. It diffuses heat from the channels before it reaches the clip, which lets me fire more shots before reloading. The rest of the energy goes to the electromagnetic accelerators in the barrel, giving a little extra damage."

Pointing to one of the devices attached to the sides, Vetra asked, "I don't recognize those mods. What do they do?"

Ryder flipped the weapon around so they could get a closer look, still grinning happily. "Ooh, that's my favorite part. Those are short range wireless power recievers. The Initiative reverse engineered them from captured Geth technology after the Battle of the Citadel. You know how the ODSY drive works?"

Vetra nodded. "Roughly. The arks and the _Tempest_ recycles static electricity from the drive core to power other systems."

"That's right. I modified the eezo core in my jump jet to work the same way. Normally, the static electricity is discharged into the ground through the soles of the armor's boots when the user lands, but I scrapped those systems. Now, the power is transmitted to the recievers which direct it to the rifle's microfabrication systems. With the extra power, they can shave rounds off the ammo block faster. Now when I'm hovering, the gun's rate of fire improves by 35%."

Cora blinked. "Ryder, that's...ingenious. Why aren't you in R&D?"

Ryder shrugged. "I had a couple offers back in the Milky Way, and again when I joined the Initiative, but...well, I wanted adventure. I wanted to use what I created." She folded the weapon up and maglocked it to her back. "Besides, the best way to see how my guns perform is to take them into the field myself."

Kallo's voice came over the comm. "Ryder? We're entering Eos's atmosphere. You might want to get out here."

"On my way," Ryder replied. She turned and left the armory, flanked by her companions.

* * *

Vetra blinked awake, the knocking on the door fading from her consciousness. She burrowed deeper into her blankets, determined to write it off as a dream and go back to sleep, but someone had other ideas.

"Vetra! Vetra, wake up!" More knocking.

She groaned and activated her omnitool. 2:34 a.m.. She closed her eyes again and sighed.

"Vetra!" The insistent voice came again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Vetra grumbled. She climbed out of bed and shuffled to the door, clumsily slapping at the control pad. The door slid open to reveal the Pathfinder with her omnitool open to a picture of a shotgun.

"Yes?" Vetra asked sleepily.

Sara's gaze dropped from her eyes to her chest, her face turning the brightest red Vetra had ever seen.

"Umm..."

Vetra frowned, confused. Was there something wrong with...? She looked down at herself and remembered she had gone to sleep topless, only wearing a pair of pajama pants. Her torso plates gleamed dully in the dim "night-mode" lighting of the _Tempest_ 's cargo bay.

Oh.

Ryder was staring slack jawed at her bare plates, her face still so red that Vetra was almost afraid it was going to spontaneously combust. It was actually pretty cute, Vetra had to admit. She flicked her mandibles out in a turian grin.

"Eyes up here, Ryder."

Ryder jerked her gaze back up to her face. "R-right! Sorry! I, uhh..."

 _So_ cute. But Vetra wanted to go back to sleep soon. She looked at the shotgun displayed on Sara's omnitool. "In the market for some new hardware?"

The blush on Ryder's face faded somewhat as she remembered why she wanted to talk to Vetra in the first place. "Y-yeah. Drack sent me an email with a bunch of shotguns and rifles and...well, now I want them."

"This couldn't wait until morning?"

"This _is_ morning!"

"Ryder, you know what I mean."

"I just thought that having the best hardware is important and that we should get on it as soon as possible."

Vetra raised a browplate at her. "In other words, you were up late reading emails and got so excited about new guns that you couldn't wait until a reasonable hour."

"Maybe, maybe not. Can you help me get the guns? The Initiative didn't officially bring what I'm looking for, but I'm hoping someone brought their own, or maybe schematics."

"Isn't that a Claymore?" Vetra motioned to the picture on Sara's omnitool. "You can't even fire that without breaking your arm."

"Not true!" Ryder's eyes flashed with indignation.

"Ryder," SAM's voice cut in. "The recoil from an M-300 Claymore would indeed break many of the bones in your arm and shoulder. I recommend using a non-krogan shotgun."

Ryder groaned. "Fine!" Vetra thought for a moment that Ryder had seen sense, but then she followed up with, "I'll build an exoskeleton into my armor to handle the recoil."

Vetra sighed. There was no sense trying to talk sense into Ryder; a few hours in the Nomad with her had proven that. "Send me a list of weapons you want. I'll put out some feelers and see what I can do." Ryder opened her mouth to thank her, but she raised a hand to stall her. "Don't get your hopes up, Pathfinder. I won't be able to get everything on your list. Some guns we're just never going to see again."

Ryder smiled at her. "Still, I appreciate it, even if it turns out that you can't find _any_ of the guns on my list. Let me know what you find, okay?" Then, feeling daring, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to Vetra's right mandible. "Goodnight!" She turned and headed back across the cargo bay towards her own quarters.

Vetra closed the door and leaned against it, deep in thought. She recalled the way Ryder had eyed her plates, the press of her soft human lips on her mandible (which was still fluttering from surprise), and the way her hips swayed as she walked across the cargo bay.

Ryder liked turian women. More importantly, Ryder seemed to like one very specific turian woman.

Vetra couldn't say that she wasn't intrigued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should have around 4 chapters


	2. Isharay, Jaal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two conversations with Jaal and then an escapade on Voeld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ThIS fIC hAsNt UpDaTeD iN a DeCaDe

Jaal Ama Darav was conflicted.

On one hand, being on this foreign ship, surrounded by aliens, made his frills itch. He did not trust them, not after what happened with the kett or, more recently, on Kadara. Especially the "turian". Her exoskeleton reminded him too much of the kett.

On the other hand, this tech lab was _amazing_. He had just started exploring the equipment when the alien Pathfinder entered.

"So...Jaal," she opened, her voice hesitant.

Jaal stood from where he was examining an unfamiliar machine. "So."

"We haven't had a chance to talk alone. You comfortable in here?"

Jaal nodded. "I am." He paused before continuing. "I hope it's acceptable. I am...not comfortable sleeping with the others."

"It's fine," Sara said. Although Jaal was not adept at reading human body language, he would swear that she was tense and unsure. "I'm going to be in here a lot, though, this is kinda my workspace."

"I understand. I'll try not to get in the way."

Sara nodded, and a heavy, awkward silence filled the room.

"So...is that your rifle?" She motioned to Jaal's modified Lanat, folded up and stored next to the angaran cot he had set up.

"It is now. It's kett, with my own modifications," he replied, his voice somewhat stiff. His frills were itching again. "I like to tinker-to get my hands on something and take it apart."

The Pathfinder grinned at him, and her tense body language relaxed somewhat. "Well, hey! There's something we have in common."

"Ah, we can look at it as a place to start?

"Got it."

Another awkward silence descended on the two. Jaal was just about to end the conversation when she spoke again.

"So what kind of modifications did you make to your rifle?" The Pathfinder asked. "I've been trying to modify a Zalkin I captured on Eos, but the way they surround the slug with plasma is totally unfamiliar." Her voice became more confident and her shoulders lost their tension as she warmed to her topic. "Does yours do anything similar? Maybe you could give me some tips on how to-"

"No."

Jaal's firm voice cut her short. She looked at him, wide-eyed.

"No?"

"Not until we've established a better trust with each other." 

The Pathfinder's face fell. "Oh, of course. I'm sorry, I overstepped. I'll uh, I'll just go."

She beat a hasty retreat, leaving Jaal alone in the tech lab. He sat on the edge of his cot, a deep sigh rumbling from his chest.

The Pathfinder did not seem like the kett, or like the alien usurpers on Kadara. She seemed uneasy, raw. But trust did not come easily, and until they had proven themselves, he would not share weapons technology with outsiders.

* * *

Ryder was not exaggerating when she said that she would be spending a lot of time in the tech lab.

Even now, more than six hours after leaving Havarl and setting a course for the Nexus, she was sitting at the workbench working on a partially disassembled Isharay, completely oblivious to Jaal in the doorway. He knocks on the doorframe to announce himself.

"Hey," she says without looking up, completely focused on her work. She slots pieces back into place with quick and sure movements, as if she had been working with that gun all her life rather than a few hours.

"You missed dinner," Jaal said, a note of amusement in his voice. He was considerably more at ease in her presence than before. After Ryder had gone through considerable lengths to help the scientists at Daar Pelaav and to heal Havarl, he had allowed himself a moderate measure of trust for this strange Pathfinder and her alien crew. Which was why, when Ryder asked if she could examine some angaran technology from fallen Roekaar soldiers, he had agreed.

Ryder's voice drew him back to the present.

"Wait, seriously?" Her omnitool glowed to life on her arm as she checked the time, well past midnight. "Shit. You need me to clear out so you can get some sleep?"

Jaal shook his head. "Not immediately. I'm curious as to what you're working on. I thought you were still trying to modify the Zalkin?"

Ryder scowled. "I got tired of trying to figure out the plasma system, so I started working on an Ushior to clear my head. Except it has the exact same plasma bullshit!"

Jaal chuckled.

"But," Ryder continued. "I had an epiphany when I was looking at the Ushior's thermal clip chamber. Take a look." She slid the Isharay over to him and he knelt down to look inside.

"You've rearranged the entire rifle!" He exclaimed in surprise. "You've moved the clip chamber to directly behind the barrel? And where's the ammo block?"

"I got rid of it!" Ryder said, grinning. "I figure if I have to reload the thermal clip after every shot, then why bother with an ammo block?" She punched a few buttons on her terminal and a holographic projection of a thermal clip appeared in front of them. Ryder gestured to it as she spoke, highlighting the relevant areas. "I'm designing a new kind of thermal clip, with two prefabricated slugs attached to the fore end. That way, you reload your ammunition at the same time as your clip, so there's no more need for an ammo block. With it gone, the rifle weighs less _and_ there's space for a vintage heat sink!"

Jaal's eyes widened in realization. "You'd be able to fire two shots before you had to reload," he said.

Ryder nodded excitedly. "The heat sink takes the heat from the first shot, and the thermal clip takes the heat from the second shot. The sink cools down while you slam another clip in."

Jaal hummed thoughtfully. "Of course, once you ran out of your new thermal clips, you wouldn't be able to use the rifle until you were resupplied. Any clips you scavenged from the battlefield wouldn't have the prefabricated slugs."

"Yeah, that's true," Ryder admitted. "But with our forward stations, resupplying shouldn't be too difficult. And if I run out of clips, it's not like I don't have backup weapons." She flashed a grin at him, remembering his shock when she exited the _Tempest_ on Havarl carrying three guns and a sword.

A _sword._

"I suppose that's true," Jaal said, chuckling. "What will you work on when you're finished with the Isharay?"

"I guess I'll get back to work on the Zalkin," Ryder sighed. "Maybe I can see what the science team on the Nexus has to say about the plasma systems."

"Hmm." Jaal stood up and made his way over to his cot.

"Jaal?" Ryder twisted in her seat to watch him.

He was bent over an oblong case, pressing his thumb to a scanner on the latch. With a small beep, the latch unlocked and Jaal opened the case. From it, he took his rifle.

"This is a kett Lanat," he said, carrying it back to the workbench and setting it before Ryder. She gazed at it with rapt attention as he spoke. "It fires slugs surrounded by plasma, like the Zalkin," he said, beginning to disassemble to rifle to show her the inner mechanisms. "It works by surrounding the slug in a magnetic field..."

* * *

Vetra despised Voeld.

She had almost asked to stay behind on the cozy, warm _Tempest_ , but Ryder had _looked_ at her with those pretty, wide green eyes and Vetra knew she would follow her into the snow. Now here she was, huddled miserably behind a frozen rock as kett plasma rounds flashed over her head.

She idly considered standing up and just letting them hit her. The plasma would warm her up, but the ballistic trauma probably wouldn't be worth it.

Instead, she activated her power armor, bolstering her shields and armor. Hitting her jumpjet, she launched into the air, releasing a concussive shot towards her attackers as the cold air whipped around her helmet. A few shots hit her, but were deflected by her shields in a shower of sparks.

Her concussive shot hit a Chosen, knocking him and the one next to him flat on their asses. She hit the apex of her jump and activated her hoverjets, suspending her in the air as her Cyclone spooled up. More plasma rounds were hitting her, but her reinforced shields held.

Her Cyclone began its barrage, sending a deadly stream of electrified metal at the remaining kett soldiers. She burned them down, one by one, until her hoverjets cut out and she dropped back to the ground. She landed in the snow with a triumphant grin under her helmet.

Nearby, Sara and Jaal were dealing with their own kett. Jaal was perched on a nearby ridge, sniping targets as they presented themselves. However, Vetra was more interested in Sara. She turned to watch as the Pathfinder did battle, her biotics flashing into existence as she charged a Destined.

Vetra admired the way Sara moved. Even knee deep in snow, she danced around the battlefield with a vicious grace. She blasted the kett with her Scattershot and flak shells before jumpjetting effortlessly away, leaving her enemies broken and bleeding green into the snow. The kett were never able to get a bead on her. Only a few lucky shots grazed her barriers before she was soaring away again.

This wasn't the first time Vetra had looked at Sara like this. Ever since that night in the cargo bay, Vetra had caught herself gazing at the young Pathfinder more than once. Vetra's eyes lingered on the curve of her neck, the sway of her hips, the bead of sweat that rolled slowly down her belly when she exercised in the cargo bay. And she _knew_ Sara was looking at her the same way.

The soft crunch of snow to her left broke her from her reverie. Cursing herself for getting distracted, Vetra raised her rifle as she turned to face the new threat.

Three Chosen were pointing their rifles at her, having emerged from behind a spire of ice while she was staring at Sara. She cursed again, spooling up her Cyclone even though she knew it was too late. With her power armor on cooldown, they would be through her shields before she could hit them all.

" _Snowball fight!_ "

The cry came from Vetra's right. She and the three kett turned to see Sara sailing through the air, her arms raised above her head to maintain a biotic field with what looked like an entire snowbank inside of it.

_What?_

Sara threw her arms forward just before she landed, hurling the mass of snow at the stunned kett. The giant snowball collided with a resounding _whump_ , burying the kett. Vetra and Sara opened fire into the mound of snow, finishing off the stunned Chosen.

"Jaal? Anymore kett around?" Sara asked.

"Negative, Ryder. All clear," Jaal replied over comms.

"Acknowledged."

Vetra stowed her rifle on her back, trudging through the snow to Sara.

"Thanks for the save back there," she said. "Pretty impressive snowball."

Sara grinned as she stowed her own weapon. "Couldn't let my favorite turian get hurt, could I?" she said with a teasing lilt in her voice.

Whatever Vetra was going to say in reply was cut off when Jaal's voice rang out from behind her.

"Ryder! Ryder, come look at this!" They turned to see Jaal struggling through the snow towards them, lugging an indistinct green mass.

Sara recognized it first. Her face lit up with excitement. "No way!" She jetted over to Jaal, eagerly reaching for what he carried. "You found a Soned? And it wasn't melted?"

"It wasn't melted!" Jaal confirmed, grinning as he handed the enormous gun over to Sara. She hadn't been able to capture an intact Soned until now, as the Anointed who carried them tended to disable the thermal safeties when they were in trouble and desperate. The gun's prodigous heat output meant that without the safeties, the gun was mostly reduced to molten metal by the time Sara reached it.

"That gun is almost as big as you are. How are you even going to carry it?" Vetra asked incredulously.

"It's actually not that heavy," Sara said, lifting the gun over her head triumphantly. "Just huge!" She let down the gun, cradling it in her arms like a child.

"You're not worried about it blowing up or melting in your hands?"

"The Soned is actually a very good at diffusing the heat it generates," Jaal interjected. "Just don't turn the thermal safeties off."

"Come on," Ryder said. "Let's get back to the _Tempest_ so we can analyze this thing." She started back towards where she parked/crashed the Nomad, lugging her prize through the snow.

Vetra shook her head and followed, hoping Sara didn't get herself killed experimenting on a crazy plasma cannon.

As Vetra trudged towards the Nomad behind Sara, she found herself watching the sway of her hips once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this fic was originally going to be a short Jaal/femryder snippet where he's woken up by her insane cackling while she mods the hell out of an Isharay  
> I forget how it turned from that into this but i wont complain


	3. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vetra's efforts have paid off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring some of the guns I wish had made it into Andromeda.

_From: Vetra Nyx_

_To: Sara Ryder_

_Subject: re: Shopping List_

_Ryder,_

_I have good news and bad news._

_Bad news: I can't find a Krysae, a Kishock, or any geth/quarian guns. Not yet, anyway. There might be some on the other arks, but we have to find them first._

_Good news: I found most of the other guns you wanted on Kadara and Elaaden. The Vindicator, the Suppressor, the Locust, and the Argus are on Kadara. I've already laid the groundwork on those deals, you just have to show up and make the purchase._

_The Claymore, Saber, Wraith, and Graal Spike Thrower are all at New Tuchanka. I called in a favor with Drack, who called in a favor with some friends of his. The Saber and Spike Thrower are free, but the Wraith and Claymore will be pricey._

_Oh, and Lieutenant Sajax has a Phaeston and a Scimitar waiting for you at Nexus Ops. In return, she wants SAM's scans of Kett ships._

_Vetra_

* * *

Elaaden's scorching heat washed over the trio as they descended the _Tempest_ 's boarding ramp. Drack was unfazed, but Ryder and even Vetra started sweating almost immediately.

Sara didn't care. There were guns to buy.

A grin broke out under her helmet and she quickened her pace, forcing a grumbling Drack and an amused Vetra to lengthen their strides to keep up.

"Was she this bad on Kadara?" Drack grumped.

"A little worse, actually," Vetra replied, smiling. "Apparently, exiles get nervous around a grinning Pathfinder running around with over half a dozen guns."

Drack barked a laugh.

Sara passed through New Tuchanka's gates quickly enough, but had to stop and wait for Drack and Vetra since she didn't know who their contacts were. She bounced impatiently on her feet as they trudged through the sand and dust.

They acquired the free weapons first. The M-99 Saber came from Rorik, who still felt grateful to Sara for finding Ljeta. Afterwards, Vetra and Sara visited the Initiative outpost to buy the Wraith from the former outlaw Boomerang. Meanwhile, Drack spoke with his old friend Urdnot Grot to get the Graal Spike Thrower.

And then there was Barruk.

Bitter, irritable, xenophobic Barruk.

Vetra had spent hours haggling with the ancient merchant over e-mail when she was first setting up the deal. Now she was learning that he was even more painful to deal with in person.

"I thought Drack was just looking to upgrade," he growled. "Nobody said I would have to sell my Claymore to a bunch of _squishies_."

"What's your problem? Our credits are as good as anyone else's!" Sara said, exasperated. She wished Drack was here to talk to Barruk; he had stayed behind with Grot to reminisce.

Barruk shook his head and gestured to the M-3000 Claymore on the counter between them. "I'm not selling this work of art to a human who can't even shoot it. It's power would be wasted on you!" He grabbed the shotgun, intending to put it back under the counter.

Sara slammed her armored hands down on the gun, pinning it to the counter without taking her angry glare away from the merchant's face.

Vetra's mandibles flared in concern. _Please don't provoke the angry krogan, Sara._

Barruk snarled at her and yanked at the gun, but Sara's grip held out against his krogan strength and the shotgun only shifted a little. He leaned in close, getting right in her face and baring his teeth. Sara refused to back down and tightened her grip on her prize.

Vetra was impressed. _That new exoskeleton really works,_ she thought.

The two glowered at each other for a tense moment before Barruk backed down with an angry huff. "Fine! Take it. Hope it breaks your arm."

Sara's face transformed from stormy to sunny in an instant as she took the Claymore from the counter. She opened her omnitool and transferred the previously agreed upon credits to Barruk. "Thank you for your - what are those?"

Her attention had been captured by two bulky, bloodred guns on a shelf behind Barruk. Each one bore a bleached white skull design and looked like they'd been through hundreds of battles. She pointed them out to Barruk who turned to see what she was looking at.

"Those? Old Blood Pack weapons. Pieces of trash, really."

Sara appraised them with a critical eye. They _did_ look like they were made out of prayers and scrap metal. Still, that just meant more for her to improve upon. And it wasn't often she encountered a gun she hadn't seen before...

"How much?" She asked.

Vetra sighed and stepped up to the counter, smoothly taking over as the haggling began again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long.  
> Writer's block hit hard and I lost confidence.
> 
> There was originally going to be a 3rd vignette that was a continuation of a conversation between drack and vetra that plays ingame, the one about off the rack mods. I couldn't figure out how i wanted to end it and i just got sick of bashing my head against this chapter.
> 
> Again, let me know if you spot typos or errors


	4. Girls Giving Guns as Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara gives a gift to Cora.  
> Vetra gives a gift to Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how's your quarantine going?  
> Honestly my life during this pandemic isn't much different from normal. Still have to work and stuff. Only different thing is not going out to dinner with my family once or twice a week.

When Cora came back to the biolab after her shower, there was a small metal box on her desk that hadn't been there before.

It sat next to SAM's framed picture. Cora frowned at it, picking it up and turning it over. It didn't weigh much, and nothing rattled inside. There was no note or anything to give an idea as to what was in it or who it was from.

"SAM?"

The AI's synthesized voice came over the comms. "Yes, Lieutenant Harper?"

"Who left this box here?"

"I have been instructed not to reveal that information."

Cora felt her brow furrow before she shrugged. _Only one way to find out_ , she supposed. She thumbed the release for the box, popping open the lid and revealing the treasure within.

Cora's eyes widened at the exquisite craftsmanship of the asari Disciple that lay nestled in its case. White with purple trim, it radiated sleek power and deadly grace. A traditional asari blade was mounted under the barrel as a bayonet. It was beautiful, and Cora was instantly taken with it.

A datapad was also inside the case. Cora picked it up, turning it on with the press of a button. It contained the shotgun's technical specs. Even at a glance, Cora could tell this Disciple was far superior to her M-28. On top of increased firing power and less heat generation, it featured a geth power transmitter. It collected the gun's waste energy and transmitted it to her amp, improving her already formidable biotic powers.

Cora lifted the shotgun out of its case with reverence, admiring its elegant curves. The blade glinted from the biolab lights as she turned it over. It was light, despite the power it held. She was about to open up it up to get a look inside when she noticed something else inside the case.

A note had been left under the Disciple, handwritten on real paper.

_Sorry about Sarissa. Hope this helps._

_-Ryder_

For the first time since the asari ark, Cora smiled.

* * *

Sara lay on the rough rock, staring at the sky, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Spots swam in her vision as her lungs burned.

She couldn't believe it. She'd come back from the dead twice, rescued the Moshae, faced down the Archon, and _this_ is how she's going to die.

A tall figure looked into view above her, silhouetted by the Kadaran sun. Sara glared at the grinning turian, unable to draw enough breath for a scathing remark.

"Having fun?" Vetra teased.

Sara raised a fist and weakly thumped it against Vetra's leg.

"You look like you're having fun." Vetra's laughter sent thrills down Sara's spine. Or maybe that was just the oxygen deprivation.

"Not," she gasped, "fair."

Vetra just laughed again and pulled her to her feet. Sara, still breathing heavily, turned to look at the view. She lost her breath all over again as she took in the landscape.

"You were right," she managed. "It's beautiful here."

The mountains were wreathed in mist which shone golden from the setting sun's rays. On the valley floor, pools of water surrounded by strange alien plants reflected the day's fading light onto the rock in shimmering patterns.

They appreciated the view in companionable silence for a few more minutes before Vetra spoke.

"I got you something."

Sara turned from the beautiful alien landscape to the beautiful alien woman beside her. Vetra was holding a rectangular case and looking decidedly nervous. Sara had noticed it strapped over her shoulder while they were climbing but hadn't asked about it. It hadn't occured to her that it might've been for her.

"Oh, thank you!" Sara exclaimed when Vetra handed her the case. She eagerly undid the clasps and opened the case. Her jaw dropped slightly at the sleek, white rifle within and she looked up at Vetra.

"Vetra, this is..." She removed the Sovoa from its resting place, dropping the case and turning the rifle over in her hands. "How did you even get this? These aren't scheduled to release for another month!"

"I contacted some people in Taravay Industries, worked out a couple deals. They were all too happy to provide an early delivery for the human Pathfinder." Vetra smiled at Sara's obvious delight.

The Pathfinder carefully replaced the Sovoa in its case before throwing her arms around Vetra. The turian's surprised exclamation was smothered by Sara's lips against her mouthplates. Her surprise and confusion melted away and she eagerly grabbed Sara's hips to pull her closer.

Vetra's mandibles were fluttering wildly and bumping into Sara's face, whose feet were aching from standing on tiptoes to reach Vetra's mouth. It was awkward and clumsy and absolutely wonderful. Vetra didn't want it to end, but they _did_ have to breathe. They broke away reluctantly, taking in great lungfuls of air.

Vetra leaned down, gently placing her forehead against Sara's. Sara smiled contentedly, listening to Vetra's rumbling purr. They stood together like that as Govorkam slowly dipped below the mountains.

"I didn't get you anything," Sara said eventually.

"That's fine," Vetra replied warmly. She pulled back and put a finger under Sara's chin, tilting her face up so she could press a short, chaste kiss to her lips.

"I have everything I need right here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long, I really have no excuse.  
> I really feel off about this chapter so constructive criticism is requested.


	5. He Burns Bright, Then Burns Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some action, some headcannons, and some cuddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where the "graphic depictions of violence" and "gun violence" tags come in
> 
> Happy Independence Day!

The mountains around Kadara Port still swarmed with Outcasts, even after Sloane Kelly was killed. Without its leader, the gang had split into dozens of small bands of brigands. They roamed the mountains, fought each other, and stole whatever they could.

Christmas Tate had contacted Sara, concerned about the situation. A few of the gangs had been moving closer and closer to Ditaeon, and he wanted it dealt with before it became a real problem. Sara, eager to help the outposts she had established, agreed to look into it.

She was beginning to regret that decision.

She was in cover next to an overturned cargo crawler, Claymore in hand, while an Outcast raider sprayed his Avenger in her general direction. She waited until he ran dry before popping out and hitting him with a blast from her shotgun. Her armor's exoskeleton absorbed the brutal kickback while what was left of the raider's mangled body fell backwards in a bloody puddle.

Sara ejected the spent thermal clip, slamming in a new one while keeping an eye out for more threats. Somewhere to her left, she could hear Peebee firing her Sidewinder at the Outcasts, with the occasional biotic ability thrown in.

The area around her was clear. Sara turned around, trying to find Vetra. She spotted her across the raiders' encampment, exchanging fire with a salarian sharpshooter. Her enhanced shields held out longer and the salarian went down, shredded by the Cyclone's savage rate of fire.

Sara grinned and threw Vetra a thumbs up. She started to turn away to find another target when a red blur out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Vetra was repositioning, trying to get a better angle on some Outcasts taking cover behind some stolen supply crates. What had caught Ryder's attention, however, were the two enormous krogan berserkers in patchwork red armor coming up behind her.

The hot rush of battle in her belly turned to an ice cold ball of fear as she opened her comm channel. " _Vetra! Behind -_ "

The first krogan fired his Shorty at Vetra's shields, overloading them before she could react. The second krogan launched a flak shell from his Ruzad, hitting her square in the back. The shell detonated, staggering her as the secondary explosions blossomed around her, buffeting her from every side. She fell to the rocky ground and did not move again.

" _Vetra!_ " Sara screamed.

The second krogan stepped forward and raised his Ruzad, preparing to decapitate Vetra with the curved blade.

Sara hit her jumpjets and rocketed into the air as she gathered her biotic power around her. She drew her fist back, wreathed in swirling purple light, then launched forward across the encampment.

Her fist hit the krogan's chestplate with all the force of her charge and her exoskeleton, denting the metal and knocking him off balance. Standing over Vetra in a protective posture, Sara brought her Claymore to bear. Her left hand flipped the switch on the thermal safety as her right hand tightened on the trigger.

The blast took him in the belly, shattering his armor and splattering Sara with orange blood. He staggered back and doubled over in pain, dropping his Ruzad and clutching the gaping wound in his armor. The other krogan fired his Shorty at her, the triple burst hammering against her biotic barriers. She snarled and whipped the Claymore around and hit him with two blasts, one right after the other. His Shorty absorbed the first blast, breaking apart into dozens of fragments in his hands. The second blast disintegrated his helmet, sending him falling backwards with a bloody orange stump where his head was.

A bloody three fingered fist smashed into the visor of Sara's Heleus Icon helmet. She was thrown backwards, landing in the dirt with orange blood running off the hydrophobic coating of her visor.

The remaining krogan stood over Sara, his head thrown back in a primal roar.

 _Blood rage,_ Sara thought dazedly.

The krogan raised his foot, intending to stomp Sara into oblivion. She brought up her Claymore and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened. Her heart sank when she saw the Claymore was red hot around the thermal clip chamber. It had nothing left to give. Sara saw the krogan's boot start to descend and she reached for the Ushior at her hip even though she knew it was too late -

A harsh whine filled the air and a barrage of electrified bullets bowled the krogan over into the dirt, sending him tumbling away to Sara's right. To her left stood Vetra, heavily favoring one leg and hosing the krogan down with her Cyclone. Her helmet's visor was shattered and her armor was scorched and dented in numerous places. She was silhouetted against the sun, and the light framed her head and shoulders like fiery wings.

It might have been her dazed state, but Sara would swear it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her alien valkyrie, protecting her from evil.

Vetra pulled Sara to her feet and then they were both frantically checking each other over, looking for injuries and armor breaches. Sara's helmet was cracked, but the autorepair systems were already kicking in. Vetra was in far worse shape; in addition to the shattered visor and wounded leg, Sara could count six other breaches on the front side of her armor alone.

But she was alive, and had just saved Sara's life. As much as she wanted to clutch the other woman to her and never let go, to press their foreheads together and just _be_ , there was still a battlefield to clean up. Peebee was calling for assistance, so the two women readied their weapons and set off to join her.

* * *

After the fight, Doctors T'Perro and Nakomoto had treated Sara and Vetra's injuries at Ditaeon. That left only one member of the team who needed fixing.

Sara stared at the Claymore laid on the workbench, steeling herself for what she knew she would find. Taking a deep breath, she began disassembling the shotgun.

She cringed as the damage became apparent. The thermal clip had completely melted during the fight, and the molten metal had oozed out of the thermal clip chamber into the microfabrication system and onto the ammo block. In the 24 hours since, it had cooled and solidified, hopelessly jamming the gun. More, the mass accelerators in the barrels had warped from the heat they were unable to diffuse.

In the end, Sara was able to salvage very little from the once-proud shotgun. With a sigh, she swept the ruined pieces into the fabricator for recycling. She stood up to leave, stretching her arms above her head as she worked the kinks out of her back. Tomorrow, she would fabricate a new Claymore, but tonight she just didn't have the energy.

* * *

Vetra couldn't remember the last time she had been this content.

They had nowhere to be all day as the _Tempest_ made its way through space. Ethereal blue light spilled in through the windows of the Pathfinder's quarters. It bathed the two occupants of the bed in an otherworldly glow. Vetra lay on her side, happily dozing with her arms curled around Sara's middle. Her leg was still sore from the fight, but it was hard to complain when her nose was filled with the scent of Sara's hair, when their legs were tangled with each other and their bare skin pressed together under the covers.

Vetra was just about to slip into a deeper sleep when Sara jerked and sat up straight, pulling herself out of Vetra's arms.

"Hmm-? Wha-? Sara?" Vetra grumbled, propping herself up on her elbow.

"If you seal the chamber, you can prevent the melted clip from leaking into the mechanisms."

Vetra blinked sleepily. "What?"

Sara jumped out of bed, scrambling for her discarded clothes and pulling them on. "You could fire twice without reloading!"

She continued rambling as she pulled on her clothes, throwing out words like "pneumatic pressure" and "underbarrel slag launcher", but Vetra just sighed. She collapsed back into the bed, cocooning herself in the blanket as Sara raced out the door for the tech lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vetra isn't dealing with this, nope, she's going back to sleep.
> 
> Remember in ME3 at the end of Priority: Surkesh when Bakara grabs Wrex's Claymore and fires it twice in a row without reloading?  
> I wondered how she did that, so I came up with the thermal safety headcanon  
> I like to think that the thermal clip actually melted inside the shotgun and ruined the insides, which is why Wrex is using an Eviscerator when you're curing the Genophage


	6. Inheritance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara tells Vetra about some childhood memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, tell me if you spot any mistakes.

When Sara walked onto the _Tempest_ 's bridge carrying a number of gun cases, Cora frowned and crossed her arms.

"Ryder, don't tell me you bought _more_ guns. The armory doesn't have any more space!"

Sara knew she was right. They'd had to requisition three more weapons lockers to store Sara's collection. The armory was filled to bursting. Before missions, when at least three people were crammed in there trying to change into their armor and perform weapon checks, it got positively claustrophobic.

"No, don't worry. These aren't for field use. I'm keeping these in my quarters," Sara assured Cora.

She used her biotics to float the cases down to the first level so she wouldn't have to take the cargo elevator on the other end of the ship. She didn't want to walk past anyone while carrying her cases and have to field their curious questions. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk about this yet.

* * *

An hour later, Sara stood in front of the new set of shelves in her quarters, contemplating their contents. A number of older looking guns were arranged on the shelves, unloaded.

The door swished open behind her and a moment later warm arms were wrapping themselves around her. Sara leaned back into Vetra's embrace, grabbing her hands and lacing their fingers together. Vetra rested her chin on Sara's head and regarded the array of weaponry, curious.

"What are these? Trophies?"

Sara shook her head. "These were my father's," she replied. "Mostly from the First Contact War." She smiled sadly. "When I was 10, I snuck into his office in our apartment on the Citadel. I found his display case and was fascinated by all the guns locked inside."

Vetra chuckled. "That definitely sounds like you."

"I got caught with my nose pressed against the glass when he came in," Sara recalled with a wistful smile. "He scolded me for sneaking into his office where I wasn't allowed."

"But a few days later he brought me and Scott into his office and opened the display case. He brought out one of his pistols and showed us how to handle it safety. Later, he taught us how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble it."

"Later, he brought us to a turian shooting range and let us shoot some practice rounds." Sara recalled fondly. "It took me hours to be able to consistently hit the targets. Scott took to it faster than I did."

"Really?" Vetra asked, surprised.

"Really," Sara confirmed. "I was more skilled at biotics at the time. But Dad took us every week and I was determined to improve." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Going to the range with Dad and Scott was always my favorite part of the week."

"Alec sounds like he was a good man."

"He was. I wish you could have met him," Sara said softly.

"Would he have been okay with us? Didn't he fight at Shanxi?"

Sara nodded. "He did, but he was no xenophobe. Dad had no time for old hatreds." She smiled. "He would have tried to cook you a big dextro dinner at the same time as he was cooking a big levo dinner. He probably would have set something on fire and then taken us all out to eat out."

That gave Vetra an idea. "Hey." She stepped back and gently turned Sara around to face her. "Let's have a big meet-the-family dinner!" She didn't wait for Sara to reply and continued excitedly. "I can bring Sid and you can bring Scott - Dr. Carlyle let him out of the medbay now, right? - and we can all go out to that new restaraunt on the Nexus, the one with the krogan chef. What do you think?"

Sara smiled brilliantly and stood up on tiptoes to press a kiss to Vetra's mouthplates.

"It sounds perfect. And...maybe after, we could head down to the shooting range?"

Vetra laughed and pressed her forehead to Sara's, her subvocals rumbling in a contented purr. "It's a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont know what i want to put here

**Author's Note:**

> Ryder's guns and their names:  
> Isharay - The White Death  
> Soned - Strong  
> Hesh - Karigan  
> Equalizer - Amon  
> N7 Crusader - Suzie Shooter  
> N7 Valkyrie - Empress Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin  
> X5 Ghost - Subject Delta  
> P.A.W - The Shepard  
> Sweeper - Delilah Copperspoon  
> Ushior - The Nightside  
> Scorpion - Daud  
> M-6 Carnifex - Lara Croft  
> M-5 Phalanx - Adam Jensen  
> Cyclone - Prophet  
> Sidewinder - Jesse McCree  
> M-358 Talon - Reaper  
> Black Widow - Amèlie Lacroix  
> M-37 Falcon - Junkrat  
> Disciple - Symmetra  
> Reegar Carbine - Anton Sokolov  
> M-25 Hornet - Eleanor Lamb  
> Sandstorm - Del  
> M-76 Revenant - Ashbringer  
> Thokin - Deathstalker  
> Naladen - Doomslayer  
> Shadow - Royal Protector Corvo Attano  
> N7 Piranha - Nightwish  
> N7 Valiant - Defiant  
> Inferno - Archangel  
> Vanquisher - Isaac Clarke  
> M-90 Indra - Wild Witch  
> Scattershot - The Outsider  
> Rozerad - Agni  
> N7 Hurricane - Pharaoh  
> M-96 Mattock - Nesting Dragon  
> Zalkin - Sunrise  
> Dhan - Terror Billy  
> N7 Eagle - Jessamine Kaldwin  
> Asari Sword - Endsinger
> 
> She carries 3 guns at a time and switches loadouts regularly  
> Remember to comment!


End file.
